Israeli Boris Gelfand gets second place in chess world championship
In a stunning play, resident of Rishon Lezion manages to tie former chess world champion for second place
Uri Zachor
Latest Update:
10.01.07, 14:35 / Israel Culture
Israeli chess player Boris Gelfand tied former chess world champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia for second place Sunday with a masterful display of cunning in the world chess championship in Mexico. Indian national Vishwanathan Anand emerged the victor of the grueling competition.
The Israeli chess master was ranked seventh in the world at the beginning of the competition which made his accomplishment at the competition all the more remarkable.
The gifted chess player’s success comes as a result of some witty tactical maneuvers he pulled off during the 14 games he played. In a strategic play in his match against Kramnik, Gelfand castled his king on the queen side sacrificing a pawn in order to ensure his move would work.
The Israeli’s play threatened his Russian opponent’s king and prevented him from crowning his pawn. In the 33rd play of the game, considered fairly early on in a chess match, Gelfand and Kramnik decided to declare a tie when it was clear that the former chess world champion could not defeat him.
Vishwanathan Anand won the competition by finishing the tournament undefeated with nine points he racked up from 14 games, one more point than both Kramnik and Gelfand.
Anand’s victory netted him a sum of $500,000 while Gelfand received $250,000. A large chunk of Gelfand’s winnings will go two his two advisors, Israeli Alexander Chuzman and Ukrainian Pavel Elionov.
Source: Ynetnews.com
If he is Israeli how come that according to “Fide online Country Top & Stats”
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=13118012&postID=264079736648337664
there are no chessplayers in Israel ?
This is the correct link to the above comment:
http://fide.com/ratings/topfed.phtml?ina=1&country=ISR
What percentage of the winnings do the seconds usually get?
I think Anand got 3,90,000 $ and not 5,00,000 $ as mentioned.
It seems like FIDE do not reconize Israel as a nation!
http://fide.com/ratings/topfed.phtml
The nation is nowhere here
Great Job Boris Gelfand. As a contemporary of Anand you were always one of the best. I was one of the few who predicted that you would defeat Kamsky in the run up to the WCC.
It looks like most of the informations about israeli players have been removed. Is this FIDE policy?
On FIDEs ratinglists you will find Boris Gelfand and other israeli players. But if you try to go to the nation-section then you are told that Israel has no activ or non-activ chessplayer.
If you click on ANY israeli chessplayer on the topp 100, topp 20 aso – list then you will get the current rating, but unlike any other players the Rating progress chart has no informations available. This apply for ALL israeli players , but noone else.
It seems like FIDE has a problem with Israel
Isn’t that a bronze medal on his neck, denoting 3rd place?
That’s how the tiebreaks worked out so Kramnik should have a silver medal somewhere (which I doubt he finds any consolation in having).
Ken
Not to rain on any conspiracy threories, but it seems easier to assume that either the Israeli Federation is suppoed to maintain the section and does not, or that FIDE does not use mailing addresses; Gelfand is of course a Soviet Citizen by birth (Belarus I think) and probably shows up that way. If he keeps dual citizenship and a non-Israel passport he might not show as Israeli. I can’t access FIDE website from work though…
FIDE have all informations they need. The israeli players one the top-lists are listed as (ISR).
But on the “Country rank by average rating of top 10 players”
is Israel REMOVED from the list. Its like (ISR) should mean something like person without citicenship anywhere. Like Israel do not exist at all.
Check it out.
Its WRONG!